FIG. 1 shows a typical computer server rack 10 with blade servers 20 disposed therein. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an individual blade server 20. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the computer servers 20 are thin, and there is very little tolerance between the individual blade servers 20 within the computer server rack 10.
Over time, as the performance of rack mounted computer systems has increased, the amount of heat generated by various computer system components has increased. This, in turn, requires enhanced cooling to maintain required operating temperatures. The most common approach to computer system cooling is the use of fans. However, with the ever-increasing power budget and space constraints of rack mounted computer systems, available cooling solutions are limited. Because space constraints restrict the physical size of fans, a common solution is the use of fans with high revolutions per minute (RPM). However, high RPM fans significantly increase the amount of vibration generated throughout the computer system.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional computer system having a cooling mechanism. As can be seen, a computer system 300 includes a computer chassis 301 and fans 302-305. Also, the computer chassis 301 has slots 307-310 for enclosing the fans 302-305. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each slot 307-310 are different from each other in shape according to each different shape of the casing of the fan 302-305. Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be different number of fans. The fans 302-305 are disposed at one outside surface of the computer chassis 301 such that air can be efficiently moved in or out using the fans 302-305. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the fans 302-305 may be disposed at different positions of the computer chassis 301, separately or together, as far as air can be efficiently moved in or out through the fans 302-305.
FIG. 4 shows an interior view of a conventional computer system 600 having a casing 601, fans 602-605, and hard disk drive 607. The fans 602-605 are disposed at one side wall of the casing 601. Typically, in such a computer system having cooling fans, vibration generated by fans is transferred through the support structure to other components within the computer system. In some instances, the generated vibration transferred throughout the computer system may interfere with the performance of the other components.